The use of mobile communication devices (MCD) and other portable electronic devices where such is prohibited can be distracting, irritating, or dangerous.
For example, the use of a MCD while operating a motor vehicle has been recognized as a safety problem for many years. This unsafe practice is prevalent among young and inexperienced drivers and especially in regard to texting (sending and receiving text messages).
Over the past several years this problem has been addressed in various ways including functionality that allows a MCD user to voluntarily suspend one or more communication features of the MCD while driving. While such schemes are relatively easy to implement, they are not always employed by the MCD user, especially among inexperienced drivers who do not fully comprehend the extent of impairment due to texting.
Other conventional schemes compel a restriction of selected features of the MCD, but they are more complex and consequently costlier to implement. One such scheme determines if a MCD is within a specified area of a vehicle that is currently being operated and if so, notifies a service provider of the MCD to suspend or restrict communication features of the MCD.
One conventional application is automatically enabled when the vehicle attains a threshold speed and is then disabled when the vehicle stops or falls below a threshold speed.
Another conventional scheme uses biometric identifiers for both the MCD and the motor vehicle. The biometric identifiers for each are compared to determine if the vehicle is being operated concurrently with a MCD by the same person. If so, the MCD is then restricted.
Other conventional schemes attempt to determine that a MCD user is not operating a vehicle. One such scheme prompts the MCD user for input with the assumption that if the user is sufficiently focused to be able to provide the input, then the user is not operating a vehicle. If the user is unable to provide the input, then the MCD is restricted.
Conventional approaches often implement an auto-reply to respond to text messages that are received during the restricted period, and some of the voluntary schemes implement a notification process when they are turned off, to, for example, alert a parent if a teen driver attempts to avoid the restriction.
The disadvantage of these conventional schemes and others, as well as numerous variations, is that they are voluntary and are often not employed or can easily be circumvented. For example, many conventional schemes use GPS signaling to determine if a vehicle is being operated. A vehicle operator may easily avoid MCD restrictions by disabling the GPS signaling. As discussed above, schemes in which the restrictions on the MCD are compulsory are complex and costly.